Italian police found in Naples a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Savior of the World (“Salvator Mundi”) , which is the most expensive painting in the world. This was reported on January 19 by CNN.
The works of art which were confiscated, stolen, or burnt on Polish territory between 1939 and 1945 number hundreds of thousands. Here, we haven’t written about those which were destroyed and lost forever, but instead focus on the ones which still exist somewhere, and remain to be found.
The list includes a tsar’s house and a wooden skyscraper.
For much of human history, privacy during bedtime was an alien concept. Many poor families lived in small houses, where there was only one or two rooms, the larger of which functioned as bedroom and living room both shared by every occupant of the house, including any guests. Even in large houses and palaces, it was not uncommon for servants to sleep in the same room as the master’s. When King Henry V bedded Catherine of Valois, writes Bill Bryson in At Home, both his steward and chamberlain were present in the room. In such circumstances, bed curtains provided a little privacy. But if you wanted true privacy, you had to sleep in a box bed.
Have you ever relaxed as your ears breathed in the dreamiest piano music imaginable? The John Field (1782~1837) experience is to enjoy the most sensual massage by the world’s most gifted masseur.
At official functions, European royalty can often be seen wearing tiaras that resemble an old Russian headdress called the kokoshnik. In Russia, empresses and grand duchesses wore this kind of tiara beginning from Catherine the Great’s rule during the second half of the 18th century. Outside of Russia, the fashion for the tiare russe developed thanks to Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII and sister of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III. Some of those tiaras still include the word “kokoshnik” in their official names, although they never actually belonged to any members of the Russian royal family
One of Kraków’s most unique and singular Christmas traditions is the popular creation of ‘Christmas cribs’ or ‘szopki.’ While many churches across the country display elaborate nativity scenes during the holiday season, ‘szopki krakowskie’ (as the local variety are called) are so idiosyncratic to Kraków, that they were just added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Something of a strange cross between a nativity scene, gingerbread house and garish dollhouse, szopki krakowskie are the bizarre result of a slowly evolving folk tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Polish archaeologists found a very large hoard of 6.5 thousand silver coins, silver and gold bullion, and two wedding rings, which could belong to Princess Maria, daughter of Chernigov Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich of the Rurik dynasty.
British actor Rowan Atkinson who is world-famous for his role as Mr Bean denounced ‘cancel culture’ this week. He calls it the 21st-century digital equivalent of a revolutionary mob out on a witch hunt.
The recently appointed director of the Paris Opera House, Alexander Neef, plans to remove three of the best-known ballet choreographies from the repertoire on account of those performances allegedly promoting White dominance, Neef told Le Monde.
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
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